|
|
Blind Loves
Slovakia, 2008, 77 min.
The phrase "love is blind" takes on an entirely new significance in this ravishing documentary that mixes whimsical animation with the real experiences of four different blind men and women.... more
|
|
|
|
Dark and Stormy Night
USA, 2009, 92 min.
Hollywood satirist par excellence Larry Blamire returns again with his biggest and funniest film yet, Dark and Stormy Night, a lovingly faithful recreation of those 1930s old-dark-house movies, with every cliché and stereotype hilariously brought to life.... more
|
|
|
|
Departures
Japan, 2008, 131 min.
A failed cellist connects with his inner undertaker, his rural hometown and his newly deceased father in this tonally eccentric, lushly scored, movingly funny drama. Crushed at the breakup of his Tokyo orchestra, Daigo retreats to his picturesque northern Japan hometown, with adoring wife in tow.... more
|
|
|
|
Goodbye Mothers
Morocco, 2007, 110 min.
Set in 1960s Morocco as the Jewish population surreptitiously immigrates to Israel in search of a better life. The sawmill owned by Brahim, a Muslim, and Henry, his Jewish business partner, is failing. Henry decides to try his luck in Israel.... more
|
|
|
|
The Green Dumpster Mystery
Israel, 2008, 50 min.
Like Daniel Mendelsohn's nonfiction bestseller The Lost, this tightly paced tour de force of detection vividly evokes the now-extinguished lives of an extended family seared by the Holocaust and modern Israeli tragedies.... more
|
|
|
|
Grown Ups
France, 2008, 84 min.
A single French father and his shy teen daughter discover romance — and deal with a shift in their own relationship — during a Swedish summer holiday. Debuting director Anna Novion proves an astute observer of human interactions in this wistfully charming comic drama.... more
|
|
|
|
The Jester
Poland, 1937, 90 min.
Set in a Galician shtetl before World War II, this famous Yiddish-language musical comedy is rich with itinerant performers and star-crossed lovers. Shown in a beautiful tinted and toned newly restored print.... more
|
|
|
|
Machan
Italy/Sri Lanka, 2008, 109 min.
Based on a real-life event, Machan tells the story of a group of slum dwellers on the margins of society who find an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria, and band together to form the unlikely Sri Lanka National Handball Team.... more
|
|
|
|
The Song of Sparrows
Iran, 2008, 96 min.
When family man Karim loses his job at an ostrich farm, he takes the first work he can get. But can his wife and kids convince him to return to a simpler life before the complexities of the city forever change him? From Iran's only Oscar-nominated director.... more
|
|
|
|
Tengri: Blue Heavens
Kyrgyzstan, 2008, 110 min.
Starting in a traditional Kyrgyz mountain jailoo, a yurt village where men rule and women work, Tengri offers classic lovers-on-the-run melodrama set amid spectacular widescreen backdrops.... more
|
|
|
|
Tricks
Poland, 2007, 96 min.
A fatherless boy tries to tempt fate in this pitch-perfect portrait of working-class life in a provincial town — and of growing up as the much younger brother of an adored older sister. Winner, Best Film, Miami Film Festival; Best Cinematography and Critics' Award, Gdynia.... more
|
|
|
|
Trip to Asia: The Quest for Harmony
Germany, 2008, 108 min.
A must for any classical music fan, this gripping documentary features the world famous Berlin Philharmonic and its charismatic conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Shot during a tour to Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo, it offers intimate access to the private world of the 126 skilled musicians.... more
|
|
|
|
Tulpan
Kazakhstan, 2008, 100 min.
The traditional lifestyle of nomadic sheepherders on the harsh Kazak steppe provides quietly sensational drama in Tulpan. An engrossing tale of a twentysomething youth who can't achieve his long-cherished dream of tending his own flock without first acquiring a wife... more
|
|
|
|
We Can Do That
Italy, 2008, 111 min.
A group of mentally disabled people become specialists in "mosaic parquet," thanks to Nello, a stubborn and passionate guy who believes they need help and understanding, not only pills and isolation. A soulful, funny and moving modern fairy tale.... more
|
|
|
|
The Witch of the West Is Dead
Japan, 2008, 116 min.
Featuring a touching performance by Sachi Parker (the look-alike daughter of Shirley MacLaine) this enchanting film about a special summer shared by a wise grandmother and her teen granddaughter was a popular hit in Japan and should strike a chord here as well.... more
|
|